Completed Projects

A follow-on naturalistic study was conducted of teen drivers ages 16 - 19 involved in vehicle crashes between August 2013 and April 2015. There were 538 crashes during this interval, supplementing the original report's 1,691 teen driver crashes. Distraction-related, teen driver crashes due to cell phone use appear to be much more prevalent than is reflected in official government statistics.

While the exact relationship between cannabis use and increased risk for crash involvement remains unclear, cognitive and psychomotor effects of cannabis use in the period immediately after use can impact vehicle control and judgment and present some risk for deterioration in driving performance.

This study quantifies the prevalence of marijuana involvement in fatal crashes in the state of Washington in years 2010 – 2014. Also included is an Investigation into whether the prevalence changed after legalization of recreational use of marijuana and creation of a new per se limit for driving under the influence of marijuana which took effect in December 2012.

The purpose of this study was to provide estimates of the prevalence of self-reported use and driving under the influence of alcohol and marijuana, and related perceptions and beliefs among drivers 18 and older in the United States, and to present an analysis of changes in these behaviors between 2013 and 2015.

The objectives of this study were to examine drivers involved in collisions and/or arrested for suspected driving under the influence (DUI), thereby documenting: the trends in THC involvement over time and in relation to the legalization of cannabis; the prevalence of THC alone and in combination with other potentially intoxicating drugs; the estimated time to blood draw under real world conditions; and the relationship between estimated time to blood draw and the level of THC detected.

As part of a project funded by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, this document provides an overview of issues related to marijuana consumption, driving impairment and blood testing as well as the potential impacts of social and legal factors.

The objective of this project is to identify and recommend strategies for improving state level data on the nature and extent of drugged driving in the United States by addressing the most significant barriers that impede state efforts to collect and compile such data.

In this literature review, theories of and research on driver behavioral adaptation are examined in light of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) that support driving tasks formerly managed exclusively by the driver.

Falls in older adults are associated with a significantly increased risk of subsequent motor vehicle crashes. Older adults who had fallen were 40% more likely to experience a subsequent motor vehicle crash than older adults who had not fallen. Additional studies are needed to clarify the relationships between falls, driving behaviors and driving safety among older adults.

This systematic review assesses the evidence in the research literature on the association between three well-validated lower extremity physical functioning measures with driving outcomes in older adults.